I'm glad to see Motorola stepping up to the plate for the customers who returned their Xooms without wiping them, but I don't think they're to blame for the debacle. Wiping a personal device prior to returning it is the owner's responsibility, plain and simple. And, not knowing how to wipe the device is no excuse. You just bought a Wi-Fi only device. Doing so implies that you know how to access the Internet, and that you should know how to type "wipe xoom", "xoom factory reset", or "delete all xoom data" into a search engine.

As Motorola said in their statement, "Original owners who performed a factory data reset prior to returning the device are not impacted."

One caveat: As TechRepublic member Rymech99 noted in the discussion thread, there are times owners might not be able to wipe their devices. If the display stops working, the operating system crashes, the touchscreen sensor fails, or the device won't power on, owners may not be able to wipe the device. If this is the case, owners are in a tough spot. Depending on the device and type of damage, you might be able to wipe it remotely or via a computer connection, for example through iTunes. If the device really is dead, there's likely not much the average consumer can do other the physically destroy the device (bad if you need to return it) or trust the manufacturer to wipe the data.

I asked the TechRepublic audience if they had ever returned a device without wiping. Of the more than 550 members who responded, nearly 10 said they had.

I included instructions for wiping iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7 devices my previous article, but here they are again.

iOS: From one of the Home Screen, press Settings, scroll down to and tap General, and then select Reset. From the Rest screen, choose the option Erase All Content and Settings. Read the warning and tap Erase iPhone.

Android: From the Home screen, press the Menu button and then Settings. Select Privacy and press Factory data reset. Read the warning message, select the Erase SD card box if you want, and press the Reset phone button.

Windows Phone 7: Swipe or tap the arrow on the Start screen and then scroll down to and tap Settings. Scroll down to and tap About and select "reset your phone". Read the warning message and click "yes".

Update 2/10/2011 3:03 EST: Included comment from TechRepublic member Rymech99.

About Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Managing Editor of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...

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Bill Detwiler has nothing to disclose. He doesn't hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Full Bio

Bill Detwiler is Managing Editor of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop support specialist in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.